Sean McDonough and Greg McElroy argued that SMU belongs in the CFP while warning the committee against setting a dangerous precedent. Credit: ESPN
By Sam Neumann on

The moment looked too big for the SMU Mustangs for an entire half.

SMU looked like a Group of Five team out of its depth, and the College Football Playoff felt as far-fetched as their strength of schedule suggested.

But then, the tables turned.

The Mustangs erased a 17-point second-half deficit and reminded everyone why they belong in the conversation. While a walk-off 56-yard field goal ultimately sealed their fate, Rhett Lashlee’s squad made Dabo Swinney’s team earn every inch — and then some.

Following Clemson’s 34-31 win, Swinney turned to ESPN’s cameras (and Molly McGrath) and stumped for SMU, declaring them a Playoff-caliber team in his eyes.

But the buck didn’t stop there.

The conversation extended to the broadcast booth, where Sean McDonough and Greg McElroy — who checked in at No. 2 on Awful Announcing’s 2024 college football rankings — also made their case for the Mustangs.

“If you watched that game and don’t think that, that SMU team deserves to be in the College Football Playoff, then I would respectfully, strongly disagree with you,” said McDonough.

It’s important to note that McElroy, a former Alabama quarterback himself,  argued that the committee has a tough decision to make—one that could set a dangerous precedent for the future of college football. And he did that knowing full well that SMU’s inclusion could eliminate his alma mater from postseason play.

He didn’t flinch.

“When you think about what we watched tonight, I don’t think anyone can come out of this thinking that SMU doesn’t belong,” McElroy said. “I think they absolutely have proven that they’re good enough. They just went toe-to-toe with the class of the ACC for last 10 years, and they almost pulled it off — and played bad, by the way.

“That was the bad performance from SMU, relative to what they’re capable of. The turnovers, the mistakes; they had their C-game and almost won the ACC Championship Game tonight. That just goes to show you what this team is capable of.”

“The committee has a very dangerous precedent that could be set if SMU if left out,” McElroy continued. “Because then you’re essentially telling people you’re de-incentivizing the conference championship game. And that’s a very concerning thing, I think, for the health of college football.”

Why would you ever want to do that?

“I love this 12-team format, but if the message is: ‘We thought you were better than Alabama or these other teams last week,'” McDonough later added. “So, you go compete your rear end off in a classic — as it turned out — championship game and lose on a field goal at the buzzer and now we’re gonna move you back. I would agree with what Lashelee said; going forward, why would teams want to play in the conference championship?”

“I think that’s a concern for the overall health and well-being of the college football ecosystem,” replied McElroy. “The conference championship’s supposed to be a reward and to use it as a penalty in this scenario, I think, would be a dangerous precedent to set in the future… I don’t think you want to de-incentivize participation in conference championship games. That’d be bad for the sport.

McDonough closed with a final thought: SMU had earned their spot. Their resume was good enough.

The moment was eerily reminiscent of Joe Tessitore and Jesse Palmer stumping for Florida State around this time last season — and we all know how that turned out.

Whether SMU’s story ends differently is up to the committee — retirement home TV setup and all.

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann